(Photo courtesy of Civilian Marksmanship Program)
April 21, 2023
By Brad Fitzpatrick & J. Scott Rupp
The Civilian Marksmanship Program , or CMP, has long been based at Camp Perry, Ohio, on the shores of Lake Erie. However, there are competitions held across the country, known as CMP Travel Games.
CMP competition season begins in March with the Western CMP Games at the Ben Avery shooting facility in North Phoenix, which is followed by the Eastern CMP Games at Camp Butner National Guard training site outside Durham, North Carolina. There’s an annual CMP Talladega D-Day Match held around the June 6th anniversary where participants use World War II-era service weapons.
“The CMP Games matches are a lot of fun. These Games folks really love firing pistols and rifles from World War I, World War II and the Korean era,” said CMP’s Steve Cooper. “We have more that 3,000 CMP-affiliated clubs across the country—many who conduct CMP-sanctioned matches.”
Here’s a look at some of the guns you can shoot at the CMP Travel Games—as well as at the Camp Perry nationals. There’s more, but we’re going to concentrate on the vintage rifles. The intent here is to offer events for competitors “who use affordable, readily available, as-issued military rifles of U. S. or foreign manufacture.” Shooters must be 12 years of age or older.
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For the most part, guns must be as-issued, with standard stocks and sights. Except for Vintage Sniper, commercial and replica guns are generally not permitted, but you may rebarrel as long as the new barrel has the exact same contour and cuts. Parts have to be GI or commercial items of the exact same weight and dimensions as original. Guns may be accurized through standard parts.
With the exception of the M1 Carbine match, slings must be standard-issue M1907 leather, M1923 leather or M1 web—or commercial slings identical to these. Similar rules are in place for foreign military rifles. For the M1 Carbine match, generally you’re permitted web or leather slings that are fixed at both attachment points.
Pliable shooting coats are permitted—no internal stiffeners—but aside from that, clothing has to be “normal outdoor or sports clothing.” Shooting gloves are allowed, as are kneeling rolls, spotting scopes and shooting mats. Don’t forget your chamber flag.
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It goes without saying this isn’t intended as an exhaustive rule roundup, just something to give you a sense of what’s possible. You can find the complete rules and everything else you need to know at TheCMP.org.
M1 Garand M1 Garands, M1 Carbines and M1941 Johnsons. Weight limit for Garands and Johnsons is 9.75 pounds. For Carbines it’s 6.1 pounds. Trigger pull can’t be less than 4.5 pounds, although Johnson trigger pulls can be as low as 3.5 pounds. National Match M1s or National Match sights are not permitted M1C and M1D rifles may be used but without their scopes or cheek pads. Eligible for the As-Issued Military Rifle Match, John C. Garand Match. M1903 Springfield M1903s and M1903 A3s. 1903s made by Springfield Armory with serial numbers under 810,000 and those made by Rock Island Arsenal with serial numbers under 285,506 may not be used. Trigger pull can’t be less than 3.5 pounds. Special-purpose sights are not allowed, but Marine Corps front blades are permitted. Sight covers of 1.9 inches or lower are permitted. Star-gauged barrels are allowed as long as the sights are as-issued and the bedding is standard. Eligible for As-Issued Military Rifle Match, Springfield Rifle Match, Roosevelt Commemorative Match (1903 A3 rifles not permitted for the Roosevelt). Other As-Issued Military Rifle M1917s, .30-40 Krags, M1895 lever actions and M1895 Lee-Navys. M1917s must be chambered to .30-06 and Krags to .30-40 Krag. Trigger pull can’t be less than 3.5 pounds. Eligible for As-Issued Military Rifle Match, Vintage Military Rifle Match, Roosevelt Commemorative Match (Krags only). As-Issued Foreign Military Rifle Bolt action or straight pulls only; no semiautos. Trigger pull can’t be less than 3.5 pounds. Rifles that were issued with pointed, inverted V front sights may be retrofitted to flattop posts as long as there are no colored beads and the blade is not wider than 0.1 inch. Slings can be those originally issued with the rifle or M1907 or M1 slings. Eligible for As-Issued Military Rifle Match. M1 Carbine Generally, only specific manufacturers are permitted. Others may be used if the match program says so or there’s a special category for them. Must conform to weight and dimensions of as-issued and can’t weigh more than 6.1 pounds. Stocks must be those made for M1 or M2 Carbines. 30-round M1 Carbine mags are not permitted Eligible for As-Issued Military Rifle Match, John C. Garand Match, M1 Carbine Match. Vintage Sniper Rifle Manual or semiauto of U.S. or foreign manufacture that was either an original issued for sniping in 1953 or earlier or a commercial replica of the same type and caliber. Bore diameter of 8mm/.315 caliber or smaller. As is—no bedding or special accurizing, although rebarreling to as-issued specs is permitted. Manual guns must have a trigger pull of at least 2.5 pounds; for semiautos it’s 4.5 pounds or heavier. Add-on cheekpieces are permitted if they were original to the rifle. Must be scoped, either original or commercial replica according to CMP guidelines. There’s a long list of eligible rifles, including guns ranging from our M1C and M1D to Britain’s Enfield No. 3 Mark I to Germany’s Gewehr to the Soviet Mosin Nagant. Eligible for Vintage Sniper Rifle Team Match. Rimfire Sporter I’ve long been a proponent of rimfire competition, and I think CMP has hit the proverbial nail on the head with its Rimfire Sporter competition—a part of the CMP Games slate of events. Its different equipment divisions offer a chance for anyone to compete. It’s open to shooters 10 years and older.
It’s for .22 Long Rifle guns only. Maximum gun weight with sights and one magazine (if applicable) is 7.5 pounds. Trigger pull can’t be less than three pounds.
No special competition-style clothing (eg, shooting coats or pants) are permitted, but a normal field or work glove is permitted. Slings can be used for support in prone, kneeling and sitting but not standing.
The course of fire is a mix of slow fire and rapid fire, with the latter having different time limits for manual versus semiauto guns. The prone and sitting/kneeling portions are shot at 50 yards; standing is at 25.
The two Standard classes feature conventional wood or synthetic stocks with pistol grips that are integral to the buttstock. Monte Carlo cheekpieces are permitted, but they can’t be adjustable. Thumbhole stocks and rails or adjustable aren’t allowed. Barrels must be straight or have a standard contour.
Standard Rimfire Sporter—O Class Open sights with a U, V or notch rear and a bead or post front. No apertures. Front sight hoods are okay, but target or tunnel types with interchangeable inserts are not. Rear sights can be adjustable for windage and elevation.
Standard Rimfire Sporter—T Class This class is for scopes and receiver sights. Scopes can’t be more powerful than 6X, and if it’s a variable the power ring has to be taped or otherwise secured so it can’t be adjusted beyond 6X. Match directors can at their discretion further split the T Class into scope and receiver-sight divisions.
Tactical/Unlimited Sporter—TU Class This is the class for AR clones or tricked-out rimfires—thumbholes, adjustable stocks, fluted or non-standard barrel contours and the like. Stocks can’t be readjusted between positions. The same 6X magnification limit as above applies.
